CELPIP® Writing Task 1 sample: Desk Assembly Left Undone

Level 7 sample answer

164 words

Dear Mr. Vega,

I am writing about the desk you sent on Tuesday. I paid $60 to have it put together. It came in closed boxes instead. I still need the desk built.

Your staff work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I am only free after 6 p.m., so those hours do not suit me. Also, my roommate need the space where the boxes are. I cannot throw them out. Your store says I must keep them if I want to return the desk. The last day for a return is Friday, so I need to choose soon.

Could someone come after 6 p.m. and build the desk before Friday? Please also tell me if I can keep the boxes flat. That would leave more space for us. If no one can come, please give back the $60 and tell me how to return the desk. Please reply until Friday so I have time to act.

Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Pita

Why this answer is at level 7

This level 7 model covers the delivery problem, household difficulties, and possible solutions in a clear sequence. Compared with the other answers, its vocabulary is simpler, and errors in agreement and deadline wording reduce precision.

• Your store says I must keep them if I want to return the desk. — Content/Coherence: This explains why the boxes cannot simply be removed, connecting the return policy to the household problem. The higher-level answers develop that conflict further by linking retained packaging, lost space, and the approaching decision deadline.
• please give back the $60 and tell me how to return the desk. — Vocabulary: The requested remedy is understandable, but “give back” is conversational for a formal complaint. The higher-level answers use more precise service language, such as requesting a refund of the assembly charge.
• Also, my roommate need the space where the boxes are. — Readability: The household impact is easy to understand, but “roommate need” contains a subject–verb agreement error. The higher-level answers express this inconvenience with accurate grammar and integrate it more smoothly into the scheduling and packaging explanation.
• Please also tell me if I can keep the boxes flat. — Task Fulfillment: This offers a practical way to reduce the space occupied by packaging. The level 11 answer makes the request more exact by asking whether flattened packaging satisfies the store’s return requirements.
• Please reply until Friday so I have time to act. — Task Fulfillment: The purpose of requesting a timely reply is clear, but “until Friday” does not accurately express a response deadline. The higher-level answers explicitly request a response before Friday, preserving time to decide and arrange a return.

Level 9 sample answer

168 words

Dear Mr. Vega,

The desk delivered on Tuesday arrived in unopened boxes, although my order included a $60 assembly service. Please check why the assembly was omitted and let me know how the store can complete the service I purchased.

Unfortunately, your regular assembly hours, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., conflict with my availability after 6 p.m. Meanwhile, the boxes occupy space my roommate needs. Keeping the original packaging preserves my return rights, but it also prevents us from clearing the space. With the return window closing on Friday, I need to resolve this soon.

My preferred solution would be an assembly appointment after 6 p.m. before Friday. If that cannot be accommodated, I would appreciate a refund of the assembly charge and guidance on returning the purchase. If assembly goes ahead, please confirm whether I can discard the boxes afterwards without affecting my return rights.

Please respond before Friday so I can weigh my options without missing the deadline.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Pita

Why this answer is at level 9

This level 9 model combines accurate language, formal vocabulary, and clear explanations of the scheduling and packaging conflict. Compared with level 11, it develops fewer implications of the incomplete assembly and offers less flexibility if the store cannot provide service before Friday.

• Keeping the original packaging preserves my return rights, but it also prevents us from clearing the space. — Content/Coherence: The contrast clearly explains how complying with the return policy prolongs the household inconvenience. The level 11 answer extends this reasoning by explaining why deciding about an unassembled desk is itself a problem.
• I would appreciate a refund of the assembly charge and guidance on returning the purchase. — Vocabulary: “Refund,” “assembly charge,” and “guidance” make the fallback request precise and appropriately formal. The level 11 answer uses similarly controlled vocabulary to express a broader solution involving an extension of the return window.
• your regular assembly hours, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., conflict with my availability after 6 p.m. — Readability: The inserted time window supplies necessary detail without obscuring the scheduling conflict. Compared with level 7, the sentence is more fluent and compact; level 11 combines this conflict with the packaging restriction in a more layered sentence.
• If assembly goes ahead, please confirm whether I can discard the boxes afterwards without affecting my return rights. — Task Fulfillment: This sensibly seeks clarification before discarding required packaging. The level 11 answer offers a more immediate space-saving possibility through flattened packaging and adds a return-window extension if assembly must happen after Friday.

Level 11 sample answer

195 words

Dear Mr. Vega,

Tuesday's delivery arrived in unopened boxes although I had paid $60 for assembly, leaving me to resolve an incomplete service before Friday's return deadline.

Your standard appointment window, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., excludes the evening hours when I am available, while retaining the original packaging prevents my roommate from reclaiming space. This leaves us in a bind: discarding the boxes would apparently invalidate a return, yet keeping them means accommodating the consequences of a service that should already have been completed. Without timely assembly, I would also be expected to decide whether to keep furniture I have never seen fully assembled.

Could you authorize an appointment after 6 p.m. before Friday and confirm whether flattened packaging would satisfy your return requirements? If an evening appointment cannot be arranged, please refund the $60 and provide instructions for returning the boxed desk. Alternatively, if you can offer assembly after Friday, an extension of the return window would allow me to assess the completed desk without forfeiting my options.

Please respond before Friday with a confirmed arrangement so that my roommate and I can plan accordingly.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Pita

Why this answer is at level 11

This level 11 model develops the practical consequences of the missed assembly and connects them to a clear decision deadline. Its precise language, controlled complex sentences, and flexible remedies make the complaint persuasive while maintaining a formal, constructive tone.

• decide whether to keep furniture I have never seen fully assembled. — Content/Coherence: This identifies a consequence beyond inconvenient boxes: the missing service limits the writer’s ability to assess the desk before committing to it. That reasoning gives the later request for an extended return window a clear purpose.
• an extension of the return window would allow me to assess the completed desk without forfeiting my options. — Vocabulary: “Extension,” “assess,” and “forfeiting my options” precisely express the proposed remedy and its purpose. The vocabulary communicates a complex practical concern while remaining appropriate for a formal customer complaint.
• discarding the boxes would apparently invalidate a return, yet keeping them means accommodating the consequences — Readability: The parallel structure makes the competing consequences easy to follow within a complex sentence. “Apparently” also leaves room for the manager to clarify the packaging policy instead of presenting the writer’s interpretation as certain.
• confirm whether flattened packaging would satisfy your return requirements? — Task Fulfillment: This directly addresses the roommate’s need for space while checking compliance with the original-packaging requirement. It turns the household constraint into a specific question the manager can answer.
• Please respond before Friday with a confirmed arrangement so that my roommate and I can plan accordingly. — Task Fulfillment: The closing specifies both the response deadline and the need for a definite arrangement. It connects the requested reply to household planning, reinforcing why a timely, actionable response matters.